As her eyes focused on her keyboard, her legs were sucked into the sewers of Staten Island, where who knows what vermin and demons scrape together their survival.

MSNBC quoted the Staten Island Advance, which claims it was told by the teen: "It was four or five feet, it was very painful. I kind of crawled out and the DEP guys came running and helped me (...) They were just, like, 'I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

The question is, how sorry exactly.

You see Alexa's family appears to be suing the Department of Environmental Protection, perhaps for not protecting Alexa's environment. Or her footwear.

Alexa's mom told MSNBC: "Oh my God, it was putrid. One of her sneakers is still down there."

One can only imagine that one of Staten Island's rats is sprinting a little faster this morning.

You might be wondering whether Alexa suffered any injuries. Reportedly, she suffered only a little scare and a few scrapes. Still, the manhole did not have cones around it, so how can Alexa have possibly known it was there?

About the author

Chris Matyszczyk is an award-winning creative director who advises major corporations on content creation and marketing. He brings an irreverent, sarcastic, and sometimes ironic voice to the tech world.
See full bio